Facebook told the Times that the only reason for this research was to look into self-censorship, something they considered if users typed something but didn’t publish it for ten minutes. The site said that they could not see what exact words or letters the users had written, and only looked at if users had written anything at all. Facebook said it has no plans to continue tracking this kind of data, though the implications are disturbing.

In Facebook’s Data Use Policy, which every user agrees to when they sign up, the site spells out the full access they’ll have to a user’s data and browsing habits once they register. Of course, most people don’t read this fine print. Still, concerned users can hide themselves from this kind of snooping by using a web browser that has Javascript turned off.

Recommended Resources

PRIVATE WiFi® is a Personal VPN that encrypts everything you send and receive. Don’t access Facebook from a public WiFi hotspot without it.

DoNotTrackMe® is a used by millions of people worldwide for free to block web tracking and spam email. Advanced Premium features ($5/mo.) allow you to protect more private information by creating one-time use, private credit cards when you shop online.

BitDefender Safego is a Facebook application you can install that will scan your News Feed and help keep you safe from scams on Facebook.